Monsignor Marksdon
Once a member of Ogrimmar’s secretive underworld, Monsignor Marksdon now plays the part of a loyal member of the Redrock Raiders while secretly working to his own goals. Appearance Larger and more heavily muscled then the average Orc, Monsignor Marksdon’s size and build more suggests a warrior then a Shaman. He has dull grey-green skin that is lined and heavy, suggesting a long, harsh life. He has small red eyes, and thick red hair worn long. As a shaman, specifically one who focuses on melee combat, Marksdon prefers mail armour as a compromise between mobility and protection. He always wears a helmet, both for protection and to conceal his identity as a wanted criminal – none in the Raiders have ever seen his face (Save for Teppy, however, Teppy is amongst those he is hiding from), however, Bowen Thropping didn’t see this as a problem when he applied to the guild. As the leader of the Kon School, he wore a different suit of armour, topped with a ceremonial headdress that included a set of antlers. The antlers became something of a signature of his, a way that anyone would identify him. Since then, he has deliberately avoided wearing them. Personality Monsignor Marksdon is something of a contrast in personality. On one hand, he can be a savage and brutal fighter, harsh and merciless to his foes. He rarely offers mercy to his foes, however, he expects none in reply. All that matters is the destruction of his opponent, by whatever means necessary. He believes that there is no such thing as dishonour in battle; all that matters is that he wins and that the other person is dead. Similarly, he is opposed to the current leadership of the Horde. He believes that Thrall, Cairne and Vol’jin are too soft and lenient, and that they should do more to destroy the Alliance. Similarly, he feels that the admission of the Blood Elves and the Forsaken into the Horde were mistakes. It was to this end that he formed the Kon School, a group dedicated to changing the Horde’s leadership to one that better suits his ideals. Conversely, he shows a degree of loyalty to his followers; he tries to treat them as well as he can, seeing them as people rather then just expendable assets. He would never order them to do anything he wasn’t prepared to do himself. However, he is also pragmatic; he rewards loyalty with loyalty, while treachery and personal ambition are harshly dealt with. He has a particular regard for Teppy, who he saw as his most brave and loyal, if not most intelligent, follower. History The Horde Born into the powerful Blackrock clan, Maskadon was raised during the tumultuous rise of the Horde. While he showed some affinity for the elements in his younger years, he never trained as a Shaman owing to Gul’dan’s outlawing of the practice. Instead, he was forcibly aged to maturity, and pressed into service with the Horde’s armies. Travelling to Azeroth, he fought against the armies of the Alliance during the first and second wars. However, while a capable soldier, he was captured along with so many others after the Horde’s defeat, and interred in a camp. It was after his liberation at the hands of Thrall’s new Horde that he was reintroduced to the ways of the elements, a path that he gladly embraced again after being separated from it for so long. However, he was far from content with the new Horde and its beliefs, feeling that Thrall was far to lenient on the humans in Theramore (and the Alliance as a whole). He was further disillusioned by the admission of Forsaken to the Horde, a race that he saw as a threat masquerading as an ally. The Kon School Fortunately for him, Maskadon was not the only Orc who felt that way about the Horde’s leadership. Moving in amongst Ogrimmar’s shadowy underworld, he built up a network of contacts and associates who held similar feelings to his own. From these, he built a core of members (Mostly Orcs, but also a few Jungle Trolls and even some Tauren) who were the most loyal and trustworthy to him and held similar principals. For several years, the Kon School worked to take control of the Horde’s leadership, operating covertly from the Cleft of Shadow and other regions of Durotar. Over time, their grip extended across the Barrens, building up contacts and bases of operations across the Horde’s territory. After the Blood Elves joined the Horde, the Kon School was greeted with a new wave of recruits who felt that they had been betrayed by their leadership. However, it was not to last. Seeing the Kon School as a threat, the Horde’s authorities launched a crackdown on the organisation. Realising that he was cornered, Maskadon disbanded the guild, scattering its members and sending them into hiding. He then faked his own death to further throw the Horde off his trail. The Raiders Assuming a new identity, he sought to rebuild his organisation while staying out of the limelight. Maskadon sought a group that he could use as his patsies while he resumed his work; fortunately for him, Bowen Thropping was recruiting, looking for fresh patsies that could do all her work for her while she tried to get into the Aunty Jack Show. Recognising exactly what was going on, Maskadon eagerly applied to the guild; he figured that Bowen and Skaase’s activities would throw any pursuers off his trail; at the same time, he assumed that Thropping’s style of leadership meant that she would not closely watch his activities. Both assumptions proved to be correct; not only did he manage to completely avert suspicion, he managed to earn a degree of Thropping’s favour, becoming one of her lieutenants within the guild. Of course, while it didn’t mean he was a part of her inner circle, it did give him greater access to resources he could use for his own ends. As a further bonus, one of his one-time minions, Teppy was also a member of the guild, giving him someone who would be loyal to him above all else. With these assets at his disposal, he has begun work to rebuild the Kon School and renew his plan to take control of the Horde. With his enemies believing him dead and access to a guild of unwitting minions, he feels that he is holding all the advantages this time. To make matters even better, he feels that Thrall has played into his hands by putting Garrosh Hellscream - the sort of person that Maskadon would rather see leading the Horde - in command of their Northrend armies. In Garrosh, he sees the combination of ruthlessness, bloodust and gullibility that he has been seeking for so long in a potential Warchief. Category:Characters Category:Orc Category:Shaman Category:Redrock Raiders Category:Kon School Category:Articles by Darthfish